- A brand new survey from the Commonwealth Fund discovered that well being care is unaffordable for a lot of People, together with these with employee-sponsored insurance coverage.
- People struggled to pay for well being care even when they bought insurance coverage on their very own, similar to on the Reasonably priced Care Act marketplaces
- The price is forcing many People to forgo wanted well being care.
Greater than half of working-age adults struggled to afford well being care this yr, in response to a brand new Commonwealth Fund survey.
Whereas the Commonwealth Fund, a personal basis that helps well being care analysis, discovered that uninsured People struggled to pay for well being care probably the most, even these with employee-sponsored insurance coverage are having a tricky time affording well being care.
Out of the insured, 43 % of People with employee-sponsored medical insurance struggled to afford well being care this yr.
In the meantime, 57 % of those that bought insurance coverage on their very own, similar to on the Reasonably priced Care Act marketplaces, discovered it tough to pay for well being care this yr.
On prime of that, 45 % of People with Medicaid medical insurance struggled to afford well being care in addition to 51 of older People with Medicare.
“Whereas having medical insurance is all the time higher than not having it, the survey findings problem the belief that medical insurance within the U.S. buys everybody inexpensive entry to care,” mentioned Sara Collins, the Commonwealth Fund’s vice chairman for well being care protection and monitoring, and lead creator of the examine.
And the excessive value of well being care is forcing many People to forgo medical care.
Nearly 40 % of working-age adults reported skipping wanted medical care or prescribed drugs during the last yr as a result of they couldn’t afford it, in response to the survey.
And virtually 60 % of these People who skipped or delayed care due to prices mentioned their well being worsened because of this, in response to the survey.
Uninsured People have been the most definitely to place off addressing their well being with 64 % reporting they skipped or delayed wanted well being care or a prescription drug within the final yr.
However 29 % of working-age adults with employee-sponsored well being care protection admitted to skipping or delaying wanted well being care or a prescription this yr.
Out of People who bought their very own insurance coverage, 37 % mentioned they skipped or delayed well being care whereas 39 % of Medicaid medical insurance holders and 42 % of Medicare recipients mentioned the identical.
Nearly a 3rd of working-age People mentioned they’d medical or dental debt due to the excessive value of care, the survey additionally discovered.
And 39 % of individuals with medical or dental debt mentioned it pressured them to chop again on primary wants like meals, warmth or lease.
Commonwealth requested People whether or not inflation and different value of residing bills made it more durable to afford their well being care, in response to Collins.
“We discovered that insurance coverage didn’t seem to guard many individuals sufficiently from the funds squeeze,” she mentioned.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This materials is probably not printed, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
